Lawsuit is Necessary to Prevent Abuse of Power

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) spoke about a lawsuit by House Democrats to test the constitutionality of the Budget Reconciliation Bill which was passed in February.

Every elementary school student knows that the exact same bill must pass the House and Senate before it can be signed into law and have the force of law. It is an unambiguous requirement in our Constitution.

However, what happened on February 8 was a direct violation of the Constitution. The President signed a version of the Budget Reconciliation bill that only passed the Senate, but not the House; therefore, that bill is invalid. This serious constitutional defect occurred with the knowledge of Republican Congressional leaders, and according to media reports, with the knowledge of the White House.

These actions not only constituted an abuse of power, but undermined the rule of law. It is not surprising that the Republicans wanted to avoid any further votes on an unpopular budget bill loaded with special interest provisions and that slashed funding for students and health care coverage for children and low-income Americans. But the Constitution does not permit shortcuts to the process by which the laws under which we live are made. Adherence to the Constitution protects the American people from arbitrary abuses of power. That is why this lawsuit is necessary: to uphold the Constitution on behalf of the American people.